Dalbesio said she believed she was "definitely bigger" than all the other girls Calvin Klein has worked with. In the interview, Dalbesio, who described herself as an "in the middle" model, said being chosen for the campaign was so "surreal", she cried.

The 27-year-old said: "It's kind of confusing because I'm a bigger girl," she told the magazine. I'm not the biggest girl on the market but I'm definitely bigger than all the girls [Calvin Klein] has ever worked with, so that is really intimidating."

Elle referred to her as a plus size model both in the interview and on Twitter, prompting a wave of controversy.

Many pointed out that a size 14 is a healthy size to be, while others criticised the fashion industry for branding someone of that size with the label 'plus'.

Others directed their criticism at the retailer - despite Calvin Klein never directly referencing her size.

Calvin Klein has not yet stated that Dalbesio was hired as a plus size model. Instead, the clothing brand said Dalbesio was chosen as part of its aim to create more "inclusive" clothing.

A spokesperson said: "The Perfectly Fit line was created to celebrate and cater to the needs of different women, and these images are intended to communicate that our new line is more inclusive and available in several silhouettes in an extensive range of sizes."

Dalbesio appeared keen to make this point clear during her interview, telling the magazine: "It's not like [Calvin Klein] released this campaign and were like, 'Whoa, look, there's this plus-size girl in our campaign. They released me in this campaign with everyone else; there's no distinction. It's not a separate section for plus-size girls."